Boohoo admits it could do more to tackle fashion’s throwaway culture

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Nov 2, 2018

Online fashion site Boohoo has admitted it plays a role in the current throwaway clothing culture and that “there is more we can do” to keep clothes out of landfill.

The Manchester-based e-tailer came under fire on Tuesday at a session led by the Environmental Audit Committee to discuss the social and environmental impact of disposable fast-fashion and the wider clothing industry.

Boohoo was named and shamed for selling £5 dresses, which are “so low value” that customers fail to develop a strong emotional connection with them and are therefore less encouraged to reuse them, MPs were told.

Stella Claxton, senior lecturer with the Clothing Sustainability Research Group, said some of today’s clothing is so cheap that even charity shops may not want them.

In response, a spokeswoman for Boohoo emphasised the business’s commitment to sustainability. “We cater for a wide variety of customers and do offer some very affordable options as highlighted here, but these are just a small part of our offer. The youthful demographic of our customer, means that education is key and we use our huge reach across social channels globally to help share ideas of how a garment can be utilised in their wardrobe again and again,” she said.

“We are also working with Regain, a company that allows users to recycle unwanted clothing to prevent them from going to landfill. We know there is more we can do and we acknowledge that we have a responsibility and role to play being a fast-fashion brand.”

This month, the fashion e-tailer extended is ‘meal deal’ offer with more outfit options including dresses, bags and shoes for £30. The offer, previously available exclusively to students, is now extended to all customers.